Gazpacho, French (Grill) Style
Summer is always a strange and wonderful season in France. As the French populace goes on vacation, so too does the content on most radio stations, the issues that preoccupy the airwaves (see Benalla and its repercussions), and magazines that focus on children’s games and summer romance. The French know how to relax, turn off […]
Beets – the Least Loved Vegetable
I can’t count the number of times I’ve presented a menu to a cooking class with a beet recipe in it, and gotten looks like I was proposing a final walk to the gallows. I proceed with a lightness of being, however, because I know what will ensue, which involves almost heavenly transformation. That’s because […]
Poached Eggs
What is more wonderful than a poached egg? Many things, perhaps, but not when you’ve been traveling, or you’re in a hurry, or your child has a performance and you’ve got one hour to make and serve a decent meal. Or really at any time at all when you want something delicious and fast. That […]
Grilled Chicken with Spicy Rhubarb
Naturally, the French cook has a way with this fleeting gift of spring. Typically, it is wrapped in buttery pastry, pureed and put under a meringue, atop ice cream, blended with cream, cooked in syrup. Here, I’m inspired by the French fascination with sugar syrup to turn rhubarb into a sweet, zesty sauce for […]
Cooking with Ramps
Ramps, or what the French call l’ail des ours (bear garlic) has sprouted, flowered, and now is settling in as forest ground cover. Soon its pungent leaves will fade to a pale yellow, and then it will offer no flavor. For now, though, l’ail des ours is still ripe for the picking and eating. This season has been particularly abundant, […]
Grilled Rabbit
The rosé from Domaine Clos des Mourres was chilling, the fire in the grill was flaming outside, friends were walking in the front door. Me? I was cutting up a rabbit and wrapping each piece in bacon, in preparation for putting it over that hot fire outside. The evening was warm and close, the sky a jumble of […]
Winter/Spring
I steamed and sautéed baby turnips last night for dinner, then served them atop a bed of bay-scented quinoa. It wasn’t a festival of colors, though the minced chives helped, but oh was it delicious! You may wonder what inspired such a meal. Part of it is my newly vegetarian daughter. The other part is […]
